Boko Haram militants kill at least 23 troops in Chad attack

Boko Haram militants killed at least 23 security personnel in an attack on a military base, officials from Chad said on Tuesday.

The attack took place on Monday night against a military base on the shores of Lake Chad, which sits on the tripoint of Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.

Dozens more Chadian soldiers were injured in the attack, which was eventually repelled.

"Once again, the nebulous Boko Haram terrorist group carried out a cowardly attack last night on our military base at Barka Tolorom," Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

"We will continue the fight with renewed determination until this threat is completely eradicated."

Boko Haram active around Lake Chad

Although the jihadist group was started in northern Nigeria, Boko Haram has expanded into Lake Chad and beyond over the past decade.

According to the United Nations, the group has killed several thousand people and displaced millions.

Boko Haram has ramped up kidnappings as well as attacks on soldiers around Lake Chad in recent years, including an October 2024 attack that killed around 40 Chadian troops.

Deby responded with a counter-offensive that he vowed to "personally" lead on the ground for two weeks.

The offensive ended in February 2025, with the Chadian army claiming at the time that Boko Haram had "no more sanctuary on Chadian territory."

The islands and marshes of Lake Chad also serve as a haven for other armed groups, including Boko Haram's rival splinter group, the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

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Edited by: Alex Berry